A butcher shop employee in the German town of Braunschweig inadvertently handed a customer a bag containing more than €2,000.

The 79-year-old pensioner paid €5 for her package of cold cuts and veal steaks but was surprised to find more than she bargained for when she opened the package at home.

French sailor is saved by phone

French sailing star Florence Arthaud fell off her boat during a toilet break but rescuers whisked her from Mediterranean waters after she called her mother by mobile phone.

Ms Arthaud was located and rescued near the island of Corsica thanks to a headlamp and the GPS system on her phone.

Coast guard keeps watch on whales

The US Coast Guard is monitoring the waters off Santa Cruz, where a pod of whales has settled unusually close to shore, drawing crowds and threatening the safety of boaters trying to get a closer look at the creatures.

The humpback whales have come about a mile from land in search of food. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary said no one had been hurt so far.